St Joseph's School
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Board governance
The board of St Joseph's School is responsible for the governance of our school and is accountable for the performance of the school. As a state-integrated Catholic school, our powers of governance are subject to our integration agreement. See Proprietor and Integration Agreement.
The 
structure and appointment of our school board meet the conditions of the Education and Training Act 2020 (s 119, s 121, Schedules 22–23).
Board members must meet minimum standards of conduct (Education and Training Act, s 166). Our code of conduct includes the requirement to act consistently with our special character and we comply with the NZCEO's Code of Ethics for staff and board members of Catholic schools. The board can apply penalties if a member fails to comply with the code of conduct.
The board must comply with the regulations for board procedures outlined in the Education (School Boards) Regulations 2020 (s 10–19) and board members are required to follow our agreed board governance processes and procedures.
The board acts on communications and advice received from relevant agencies (e.g. Ministry of Education, Teaching Council, Catholic Education Office, NZQA).
The board may choose to delegate some of its functions and powers, either generally or specifically, but remains accountable for any delegated acts (Education (School Boards) Regulations, s 8). Any responsibilities delegated to others are recorded in writing (i.e. in a schedule of delegations).
Legislative and regulatory responsibilities
The board ensures that the school complies with all legislation and regulations. Breaches or suspected breaches of compliance with legislative and regulatory requirements may be identified through self-review, external reviews and audits, concerns and complaints processes, or protected disclosure. St Joseph's School takes immediate steps to address any non-compliance.
The board has specific responsibilities under the Education and Training Act 2020, as well as other legislation and regulations, including the Human Rights Act 1993, Employment Relations Act 2000, Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, and Education (School Boards) Regulations 2020. Responsibilities of the board are included in our school policies, which are grouped into the following sections:
In addition to other governance responsibilities, our board works with the proprietor to safeguard and strengthen the special character of our school, and complies with any special requirements of the Education and Training Act 2020 (Schedule 6). In particular, our special character is outlined in our strategic plan, and we follow special arrangements for appointments, property, and enrolment. See Special Character and Proprietor and Integration Agreement.
Role of the principal
The principal is an employee of the board and must comply with the general policy directions of the board. The principal is also a full member of the board and is the chief executive of the board in relation to the control and management of the school. As such, they have complete discretion to manage the day-to-day administration of the school as they think fit (Education and Training Act, s 130). See Managing Policies and Procedures.
The principal has specific responsibilities under the Education and Training Act 2020 and as delegated by the board. See Principal Responsibilities and Review Schedule and Board Assurances.
Self-review
The board monitors and evaluates its own performance and reports on this each year in the annual report (Education and Training Act, s 145, s 639). Monitoring and evaluation is based on how the board is achieving (or making progress towards achieving) its objectives in accordance with its strategic plan, and how the board is implementing the targets and actions of its annual implementation plan. We complete regular internal and external evaluation of our Catholic special character. See School Planning and Reporting and Safeguarding and Strengthening Catholic Character.
(links to helpful resources for staff and board members of New Zealand Catholic Schools, including Code of Ethics for Catholic Schools) (principles of Catholic social teaching) Release history: Term 1 2025, Term 3 2024, Term 4 2022, Term 1 2022, Term 2 2021
